Asiri spoke to Mohammed bin Nayef a few days prior to the bombing and expressed his desire to turn himself in as part of the country's terrorist rehabilitation program,[6][7][7][8] and they agreed to meet.[9] This was an apparent ploy to get admitted to the Prince's palace. Asiri is believed to have traveled to Jeddah from the Yemeni province of Marib.

On August 27, 2009, Asiri waited in line at Mohammed bin Nayef's Jeddah home as "well-wisher," a tradition in the kingdom during Ramadan. He exploded a suicide bomb (perhaps with a cell phone), killing himself, but only lightly injuring bin Nayef (who was protected from the full force of the blast by Asiri's body).[10][11]

"I did not want him to be searched, but he surprised me by blowing himself up," said Mohammed, who appeared on state television with a bandage around two of his fingers on his left hand.

"However, this will only increase my determination" to fight terrorism in the kingdom.[12][13]

According to early and the most recent reports, Asiri's older brother had hidden one pound (0.5 kg) of PETNplastic explosives in his rectum and anal canal, which security experts described as a novel technique.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Asiri had passed through a metal detector and remained in the security of the Prince's bodyguards for over 24 hours before gaining the audience.[21]

According to Al Arabiya, this was the first assassination attempt against a royal family member since 2003, when Saudi Arabia faced a sharp uptick in al-Qaeda linked attacks.[22] The Saudi Gazette reported on October 22, 2009, that a Yemeni named Rayed Abdullah Salem Al Harbi assisted Asiri in preparing for his suicide mission.[23]

^"Saudi prince spoke to bomber on phone before attack". Reuters. September 2, 2009. Archived from the original on September 2, 2009. On the recording broadcast by Saudi-owned Al Arabiya, the two men are heard exchanging pleasantries and congratulating each other for the holy month of Ramadan, which is currently being observed by Muslims around the world, indicating that the conversation took place in recent weeks. 'I need to meet you to tell you the whole story,' the man told Mohammed. 'If you come I will sit with you and both of us can give whatever he has to his companion,' he replied.